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Chapter: 1800 Income Program: MFAM 5 unearned income. The amount of alimony received based on decrees issued on or after January 01, 2019, is not considered unearned income. 1830.0800 ASSISTANCE FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (MFAM) Assistance payments are benefits based on applicant or recipient need.

Payments excluded as unearned income are:

1. energy assistance such as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Home Energy Assistance (HEA) 2. across-the-board rebates from utility companies’ payments from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the USDA Rural Housing (formerly Farmers Home Administration (FmHA)) 3. used to offset rent or mortgage or utility payments 4. disaster assistance payments 5. cash Severance payments, upfront diversion payments and state relocation payments 6. temporary Cash Assistance and Relative Caregiver payments 7. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 8. Emergency Financial Assistance for Housing Program (EFAHP) payments 9. Home Care for the Elderly and Home Care for Disabled Adult payments are excluded when not specifically identified for a member of the assistance group 10. benefits withheld to recover an overpayment 11. adoption subsidies and foster care payments 12. payments from a state fund for the victims of crimes 13. guardianship assistance payments 1830.0900 BENEFITS (MFAM) The gross benefit amount received is considered unearned income. Benefits are owned by the individual for whom they are intended unless the individual is not in the home and the benefits are not redirected.

Benefits excluded as unearned income are:

1. veterans’ benefits including disability compensation and pension payments for disabilities paid either to veterans or their families 2. Workers’ Compensation payments designated for medical expenses paid or deducted at the source and not controlled by the individual 3. Holocaust Victims Restitution payments made as a result of persecution, mental disability, or sexual orientation. This includes compensation for property losses. 4. payments from federal income taxes for earned income tax credit and child tax credit, including any retroactive payments. 5. compensation received for permanent loss or loss of use of a part or function of your body, or for permanent disfigurement. 6. funds received by a member of the Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, or the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians pursuant to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. 7. American Indian and Alaska Native distributions and payments: distributions from Alaska Native Corporations and Settlement Trusts; distributions from any property held in trust, subject to Federal restrictions, located within the most recent boundaries of a prior Federal reservation, or otherwise under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior; distributions and payments from rents, leases, rights of way, royalties, usage rights, or natural resource extraction and harvest; distributions resulting from real property ownership interests related to natural resources and improvements; payments resulting from ownership interests in or usage rights to items that have unique religious, spiritual,